Deep Condition Your Hair the Easy Way | Damp Bun It!

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If there is one lesson I have learned well while taking my fifty spins around Old Sol it is how to royally screw up my hair.

Seriously. I have done just about everything that one human being of the Caucasian persuasion can do to a head of hair. I have bleached, highlighted, dyed, fried, hennaed, un hennaed. My hair has been every colour from platinum blonde to chocolate brown to deep Merlot red. I have coloured my own hair, had it done in salons. I have gone from blonde to dark brown, back to blonde to red then attempted, when I realized that I am and always will be a blonde at heart, to return to my lighter nature. And literally melted my hair to get there. And I haven't done it just once. Oh, no.

For a woman with an allegedly healthy IQ I sure am slow on the uptake.

I think I'm finally settled in to a colour that I can love and stay with for the foreseeable future. I'm done going dark brown and red. I have finally embraced my true nature and am at peace with her. Unfortunately, embracing my true nature requires the use of bleach, as I am no longer the pale, translucent blonde of my youth. Think salt and pepper. With plenty of salt. To get my hair to my desired tone, it goes through a lot and that means it requires special care and a little pampering.

One way in which I like to pamper my hair is to damp bun it. Damp bunning is a great way to give my stressed tresses a long, slow, deep moisture treatment. How does it work? Well, it's simple, really. Damp bunning keeps the length and ends of my hair damp for an extended period of time, allowing it to luxuriate in whatever treatment I have added to it without my having to walk around in a shower cap with a towel around my shoulders and goo dripping down my neck. I can go about my day. Do my work, take care of my home, go out and run errands and all the while my hair looks styled and neat.

What do I use for damp bunning? Just about anything works... First I need a conditioner of some kind. Something that will help to hydrate, soften and soothe my hair. I will often use a nice natural oil or a bit of my regular conditioner, even a specialized leave in. Since I'm due for a colour session and I'm going to have some highlights added to brighten up a bit for Spring and Summer, I decided to amp up the protein. Protein is beneficial to bleached and damaged hair because it bonds to weak spots on their hair shaft, temporarily strengthening and smoothing and adding shine.

One treatment I have been using lately is New York Streets Hair Repair. This protein rich leave in has only one water soluble cone, Dimethicone, about halfway down the ingredients list. This treatment is applied via an aerosol free spray. I can customize how much treatment I put on a particular part of my hair. A light mist on my roots and crown, as they aren't as damaged, more on my mid length then I can really pile it on my lower length and ends to give the most distressed areas of my hair maximum assistance.

One thing to remember, if you are going to use a protein treatment, you must balance it with moisture or you will end up with dry, crunchy hair. I use a rich, moisturizing conditioner in the shower then apply my protein treatment. Moisture. Protein. Soft, happy hair.

Once the leave in is applied, it's simply a matter of combing my hair back into a ponytail, twisting it into a rope and laying it down on the back of my head in a cinnamon bun pattern, spiraling it from the center out. I tuck my ends under the bun so that they stay wet as long as possible and anchor my bun. I like to leave my hair damp bunned for at least several hours.

Some of my favorite hair toys for anchoring damp buns are waterproofed, coated hair sticks, plastic jaw claws, coated Spin Pins and of course, a Ficcare Maximas Clip. This one is a Medium Classic Enamel in Lite Blonde. My hair has finally grown out enough that I can use this clip, again. I can't wait until my length and thickness recover to the point where I can haul out my collection of large clips and use them, again. I miss my beauties! Coated bobby pins, even scrunchies or those soft, wide, elastic hair ties also work just fine.

Just be careful not to bun too high and leave the bun too long because...

Yeah...

With Summer coming, I will be damp bunning even more than ever. As the temperature starts to ramp up the last thing I want to do is swelter under a heating cap. Mine has been put away until Fall. A nice, damp bun on my head in hot weather serves as my own personal little air cooler. Really. It's quite refreshing. Try it!

Do you damp bun your hair? If not, now that you have read this post, do you think that you'll give it a go? What is your favorite way to get a nice deep conditioning treatment into your hair?

I'm a fifty-something, coffee addicted, empty nesting, sarcastic beauty/lifestyle blogger who believes that life is too short for stupid rules, especially those that pertain to people in my age bracket. If you feel the same way, you may be a member of my tribe.

Yes, damp bunning for the win! I love soaking my hair in leave-in treatments and just wearing it in up a bun all day. I do this once a week at summer, and all that warm air really helps the nutrients soak through.

Leave it in. I usually let my hair down and let it either finish air drying or blow it dry. More often air dry. #lazyslag And I like to use as little heat as I can. If you have enough length to do a little twist on the back of your head, you can do that, damp and tuck your ends in. That's what I did when my hair was shorter. :D

Yes, Spin Pins do work. There is a little bit of a learning curve with them, I won't lie to you. But even when my hair was tailbone length and super thick, those four little spinners could anchor my big bun to my head all day.

The spray protein treatment sounds so cool! I've never tried a spray on version. My hair loves protein, so maybe I should give it a try! What are some of your favorite conditioners? I'm a conditioner whore...LOL I'm currently loving the InstaNatural mask, and I love the 180PRO line from Sally's. The shampoo, conditioner, and mask are AMAZING. Thanks for linking up with us at the Best of the Blogosphere! :)

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I'm a fifty-something, coffee addicted, empty nesting, sarcastic beauty/lifestyle blogger who believes that life is too short for stupid rules, especially those that pertain to people in my age bracket. If you feel the same way, you may be a member of my tribe.